FilmFest Hamburg opens its 34th edition on September 24 with The Idiot(s) by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert and closes on October 3 with Josef Kubota Wladyka’s Sundance award-winning tragicomedy Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!. At the heart of both films are strong women who forge their own path in the face of male self-importance, loss and the expectations of those around them. 

In The Idiot(s), Aimee Lou Wood and Johnny Flynn play Anna and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, who settle in a spa town during their honeymoon. While Fyodor gambles away the couple’s meagre funds at the casino, pursues other women and struggles with writer’s block, Anna quietly holds everything together. Szumowska and Englert gleefully dismantle the myth of the male genius, turning the spotlight instead on the clever, determined woman at his side. Alongside the two directors, Aimee Lou Wood and Christian Friedel are among the guests expected to attend the German premiere in Hamburg. 

Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! tells the story of Haru (Rinko Kikuchi), who loses her footing after the death of her husband Luis. The two shared a passion for competitive dancing, but after his death Haru

withdraws from life, finding comfort in the belief that Luis visits her at night in the form of a crow. When her sister and cousin draw her back into the world, Haru rediscovers her passion for rumba and, with a new dance teacher, the possibility of a new kind of closeness. With music, exuberance and emotional depth, Wladyka tells a story of grief and new beginnings. For that, he received the Directing Award at Sundance Film Festival. 

FilmFest Hamburg takes place from 24 September to 3 October 2026, showing more than 120 national and international productions as world premieres, European, German or Hamburg premieres. Screenings take place at the cinemas Abaton, CinemaxX Dammtor, Metropolis, Passage and Studio Kino. On 3 October, the festival celebrates its Free Admission Day, with all screenings at the five festival cinemas plus participating “FilmFest ums Eck” venues free to attend.